<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Kairosclerosis by sohvia</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140528">Kairosclerosis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohvia/pseuds/sohvia'>sohvia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Other characters make an appearance here and there, friends to boyfriends, i like that tag more than the friends to lovers, you will not be able to find any angst in this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:02:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,713</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140528</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohvia/pseuds/sohvia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If someone had told Kozume Kenma that he would one day wake up next to the person who'd make him the happiest he'd ever been, he would wonder why this someone was talking to him in the first place.<br/>If someone had told Hinata Shoyo that he would one day get to impress someone with his hair braiding skills, he would wonder what did hair braiding have to do with volleyball.<br/>(Kuroo is proud to be this someone, but that's beside the point and he's not the main character in this story)</p>
<p>And one day, Kenma wakes up to smile at Hinata in thanks for braiding his hair so for once it isn't defying gravity by standing up in every possible direction. From that, it's only a little step to mutually admit that, "hey, I would like to hold your hand and call you my boyfriend, but only if you and your virtual pet are okay with that".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Kairosclerosis - the moment you realize that you are currently happy - consciously trying to savor the feeling - which prompts your intellect to identify it, pick it apart and put it in context, where it will slowly dissolve until it's little more than an aftertaste.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Technically this story falls into my Yugen universe (if you've read my fic Yugen, you know what that means and this is the KenHina that is a sidepairing in that fic)<br/>If you haven't read Yugen, don't worry about it. You don't need to. This is as much a stand alone fic as it could be part of Yugen.<br/>(This isn't written in chronological order because I've become unable to do so after finishing Yugen)</p>
<p>This is the kind of KenHina story that I've wanted to read, so I decided to write it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope you have fun reading this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>K.O flashed on the screen, Kenma’s character doing a victory dance while Hinata’s lay prone on the ground.</p>
<p>Hinata’s loud yawn pulled Kenma’s attention, arms reaching high over his head and almost hitting the mobile-like decoration of the solar system hanging over their heads. The covers of the bed they were sitting on were rucked up from the way Hinata liked to move and tilt and angle himself along with his character, an endearing habit of his.</p>
<p>“I’m hungry.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Kenma quietly hummed in agreement, a little hungry himself, already picturing a warm apple pie, almost tasting it on his tongue.</p>
<p>He eyed the fridge in the corner of the room, a little dismayed that he didn’t have much anything in there, food wise. A couple of cans of coffee and energy drinks, but no food.</p>
<p>“Let’s go get something to eat,” Hinata, probably fully accustomed to the lack of contents in Kenma’s fridge, suggested. He bounced up from the bed, as though newly reinvigorated from just the mere thought of food, the game abandoned even though he’d been adamant about beating Kenma at least once, starting a round after round.</p>
<p>With a smile, feeling fond of the younger man, Kenma got up to follow him, the idea of apple pie awaiting him urging him to brave the cool spring evening.</p>
<p>Hinata flashed a smile over his shoulder at Kenma as he stepped out of the door, like he was double-checking that Kenma was coming too.</p>
<p>Kenma had to avert his gaze, only to have it return to the brightness of the smile. It was nice knowing that the smile was meant for him, even if witnessing it made him suddenly shy for a moment, unable to hold the eye contact for long. Not that he’d ever been good at maintaining or initiating eye contact.</p>
<p>And the sensation that he got now from the sight of Hinata’s smile wasn’t new to him either. The lurch in his heart at seeing the soft smile, forcing him to look away in fear that it was visible, as if Hinata had an x-ray vision through his chest.</p>
<p>No. The sensation had been growing stronger for a good while now, not even a little bit surprising anymore but an old companion, something he could expect to happen.</p>
<p>They had been friends for a relatively long time now. Kenma couldn’t give you the exact amount of days and weeks and months, but only because he wasn’t sure when they became friends. If he counted from the day they’d met for the first time, it was close to a year already. But he’d been reserved back then and wouldn’t have called Hinata his friend right from the get go.</p>
<p>No, it happened far more slowly, almost glacial pace, for him to open up to Hinata.</p>
<p>He was ever-so-glad that he had, though. He was certain that becoming friends with Hinata had turned his life for the better. Kuroo had been the first to make a remark of it.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I think Chibi-chan’s been good for you.” </em>
</p>
<p>That was what Kuroo had said in complete sincerity and seriousness. In the same way that he spoke of volleyball. That was how Kenma knew that Kuroo meant it.</p>
<p>Making friends had made him more active with his other friends too, and with those he wouldn’t call his friends but people who he often saw around the school who said the occasional hello to him.</p>
<p><em>“Should I be worried that Hinata has bewitched you? Turned into the antithesis of you? You never said anything to anyone before,” </em>Kuroo had said when he’d witnessed a passing greeting to someone he shared a class with.</p>
<p>But that was only because he’d gained more confidence from Hinata, who seemed to have it in buckets, exuding it like a plant photosynthesized air, Kenma unwittingly breathing it in. He was braver to speak up, while remaining inside his shell where it was safe to stay, where no one would be able to really see him unless he wanted to be seen.</p>
<p><em>“It was nice to hear you talk with Inuoka,” </em>Kuroo had commented after a volleyball practice Kenma had snuck into the gym to watch.</p>
<p>However, he wasn’t more trusting, although trusting Hinata had been easy, the younger’s bright personality transparent to a fault – what you saw you got. And Kenma liked what he got with Hinata.</p>
<p>Hinata spoke a lot, and Kenma liked listening to him. He had so many stories, even the simplest, seemingly insignificant thing was significant enough for him to tell. <em>I saw a cat on the way here and it made me think of you.</em> Or, <em>my little sister called today. </em>And he would proceed to recount the phone call to Kenma, who was happy to hear every word the siblings had exchanged.</p>
<p>Hinata also smiled a lot, and witnessing it made Kenma smile a little too. More in his eyes than on his lips, but the smile was there and once, seeing it, Kuroo had nudged him with an elbow. Like it meant something that he and Hinata had smiled at each other.</p>
<p>Hinata had tendency to move around a lot, a Duracell Bunny, a battery giving Kenma energy especially on the days when he wasn’t feeling up to anything. Somehow Hinata always just knew if Kenma needed to recharge, and Hinata was the one and only person that Kenma tolerated to have around when he felt socially drained.</p>
<p>Hinata cared a lot, always making sure that Kenma was okay, that he was comfortable with whatever they were doing, constantly checking up on him in a way that didn’t come across overbearing or hovering, letting him game away with his handheld console even in the middle of a largish gathering of their riff-raff group of friends.</p>
<p>Hinata knew that Kenma had a preference for apple pie and always brought leftovers from the café he worked at after his shift. Kenma had started to suspect that Hinata put a slice to the side close to the end of his shift to make sure there was at least that one piece left for him to bring over.</p>
<p>Kenma appreciated it all, everything that was Hinata Shoyo. Being friends with Hinata hadn’t changed him so much as it had brought more out of him. He was unafraid to be himself with Hinata around. He was safe with Hinata.</p>
<p>He was happy in his own bubble, focused on his video games, and now he’d learned to like it too when Hinata pulled him outside of it, away from his videogames to participate in the impromptu race on office chairs. As long as he felt like having people around him.</p>
<p>On some days, he preferred to be left alone, not even wanting Hinata around in the hopes that it would make him feel better. On those days, at the end of the day, he’d check his phone to find a message from Hinata, wishing him well, followed by an absurd amount of inexplicably incomprehensible emojis that Hinata most likely just happened to like, not really meaning anything with them.</p>
<p>His life was richer, more meaningful after Hinata had appeared from stage left, bringing adventures and surprises, but also comfort and security.</p>
<p>He hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t envisioned anyone like Hinata in his future as his friend, as anything.</p>
<p>Of course, he was always safe and comfortable with Kuroo too – he was his best friend after all, a life-long, childhood best friend. But it was different with Hinata, who at times felt more than just a friend.</p>
<p>Kenma didn’t have a name for that feeling. He wasn’t in any hurry to name that feeling. It was there, and he acknowledged that it was there, and it was enough.</p>
<p>“We have to hurry or we’ll be late,” Hinata was urging him on, sprinting across the crosswalk when the light started flashing in green.</p>
<p>Kenma smiled fondly as he watched after him, walking in a slower pace after him, just making it to the curb when the light turned red. He had timed he had enough time to walk, don’t worry.</p>
<p>“I hope Terushima-sensei has good leftovers left over,” Hinata mused as they both continued in Kenma’s pace, Hinata matching it with ease, even with his rambunctiousness.</p>
<p>Kenma stuffed his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, hiding his smile in the collar, listening to Hinata drool over the delicacies.</p>
<p>“What do you think he might have?” Hinata asked, turning his head to smile straight at Kenma. </p>
<p>Kenma glanced at him from the covers of his collar and hood, forced to avert his gaze when the brightness of Hinata’s smile threatened to blind him. It did nothing to lessen the heart palpitations that seeing the smile caused, or the warmth he felt from it.</p>
<p>“Apple pie.”</p>
<p>Hinata chuckled at his answer, expectedly, for it was Kenma’s favorite. Hinata had probably asked even though he knew what the answer was going to be.</p>
<p>“Let’s hope so.” Hinata beamed so wide Kenma could sense it in the air. The hand that came to briefly wrap around his arm to tug him out of the way of an on-coming cyclist lingering until the next street corner, hesitantly sliding down to his wrist.</p>
<p>More than for the apple pie, Kenma wished that he was braver, to have the courage that Hinata had abundance of, to initiate the casual touches. He wished to take the hand in his before the contact of fingertips barely brushing on the back of his hand was gone, to show Hinata that it was okay to hold his hand if he wanted to.</p>
<p>Before he had the chance to talk himself out of his awkward indecisiveness out of sheer timidity and apprehension of possible reactions, Hinata was opening the door to the café, confidently and with a spring in his steps leading Kenma inside the cozy warmth of the place.</p>
<p>The smell of baked goods, of coffee… The smell of Hinata whenever he came over to Kenma’s dorm room after work… It brought a small smile to Kenma’s face. A smile he tucked behind the collar of his hoodie.</p>
<p>“Terushima-san,” Hinata greeted his boss at once when he spotted the man behind the counter, garnering curious looks from the last patrons still occupying a table or two.</p>
<p>“Hinata-kun,” his boss grinned, “What are you doing here so late?”</p>
<p>“Do you happen to have any pastries on-hand that you were about to throw away that you could maybe give to a couple of starving students instead?”</p>
<p>Terushima chuckled, eyeing the glass case to his left, “I guess I have some that I can spare.”</p>
<p>“By the way, this is my friend Kenma.”</p>
<p>“It’s nice to meet you,” the man greeted friendly, and Kenma reciprocated the sentiment with a nod and a quiet hum. For all that Kenma had heard of Hinata’s boss, this was the first time he met him, and he had to say, even though he hadn’t expected much, he hadn’t expected this. The man wasn’t much older than him, couldn’t be more than a couple of years. His appearance didn’t exactly scream ‘the owner of a café’, or the kindness of a respectable boss that Hinata’s stories had given him.</p>
<p>“Here you go,” Terushima interrupted Kenma’s quiet ruminations, handing a paper bag to Hinata, who thanked profusely after the mention of apple pie with a wink.</p>
<p>“Come on, Kenma,” Hinata then took his hand, like Kenma had hoped to do, and pulled him after him out to the street and to the cold air of the early spring. The warmth of the inside air was gone, but Kenma barely noticed it with the way Hinata’s warm hand held his, gentle yet firm.</p>
<p>Kenma didn’t want him to let go, Hinata’s fingers interwoven with his giving a sense of security. And he didn’t let go.</p>
<p>And metaphorically, now years later, he still hasn’t. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The story of Kenma and Hinata started one day in the late spring, once the Sakura trees had shed their pretty flowers.</p>
<p>Kenma, at the same time standing in the middle of his dorm room and in front of his bed, stared at the broken hair tie in his hand, feeling the uselessness of it on a spiritual level.</p>
<p>Well, there was nothing he could do with it anymore, and with a sigh he disposed of it, discarded among the trash already filling the bin under his desk. He gave it a last mournful look, thinking briefly of how useful it had been, how well it had served him in keeping his hair tied up in the small bun at his nape, and thanking it for its service.</p>
<p>Then, when he felt he’d paid his respects to his fallen comrade, he started to look for another hair tie. He couldn’t go out without one. His hair had grown rather long, and it was easier to walk through the streets and the spring wind with it tied back, keep it out of his eyes.</p>
<p>There was a hair tie somewhere… He knew he had more. There must be one, he was absolutely certain of it as he searched high and low in his small dorm room.</p>
<p>Growing a little frustrated as time ticked on by and he still hadn’t found something to pull his hair back with, he upended his school bag on his bed, books falling along with his laptop charger, empty water bottle and other various little knick-knacks he’d frankly forgotten about, one of which was a keycharm that he’d won in the arcade months ago. Even a cell phone charger he’d thought he’d lost and had already replaced with a new one. Huh…</p>
<p>Maybe it was a good thing he dumped the contents of his bag, he could put back only the essentials and throw out the rest. A gum wrapper? Yeah, he didn’t need that anymore. A super ball? Where had that come from? A sock? It looked like one of Kuroo’s, so that made sense.</p>
<p>But what he didn’t find, was a hair tie.</p>
<p>Resulting into improvising, fashioning one out of a shoe lace he pulled from one of his sneakers, he tied his hair back with haste, and then put everything he’d dumbed on his bed back into the bag. He could sort them out later.</p>
<p>Right now, he was going to have to hurry or he would be late to a class. He hated to run to catch the train, and soon he’d have to walk in a brisk pace if he didn’t want to miss it. There would another one a short moment later that he could take too, but then he’d have to sprint to the school, and that sounded burdensome too…</p>
<p>He heard footsteps racing behind him, the sound growing louder as the runner came closer, and soon a bright orange something flew past him like someone had lit their ass on fire.</p>
<p>Kenma wondered what it would be like to have the energy to fly down stairs in mere five steps instead of the thirty or so that he did in moderation. Unable to even imagine it, his thoughts shifted to wondering what it would be like to know someone or be friends with someone who had the boundless energy, and the mere idea of it made him exhausted. To socialize with someone like that? Surely that would be a personal hell designated just for him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Excuse me,” someone said next to him, and he really hoped that they weren’t talking to him, “Kozume-san.”</p>
<p>Oh, crap. There went that hope, jumping out the window like Kenma wanted to do right at that moment, never to be seen again, waving as it disappeared out of sight, for they were talking to him.</p>
<p>He looked up to tell this person to kindly leave him alone, but was instantly blinded by the brightest smile he’d ever seen.</p>
<p>“Hinata Shoyo,” the person with the bright smile introduced themselves, reminding Kenma as if he could’ve forgotten. “We had that tutoring session scheduled.”</p>
<p><em>Oh, right, that,</em> Kenma remembered. <em>That,</em> that Kenma had forgotten about.</p>
<p>“Yes, sit down Hinata-kun. And you can call me Kenma.”</p>
<p>“In that case, call me Shoyo,” Hinata said as he took a seat across from him, putting his bag on the table.</p>
<p>Kenma took in the young man, the friendliness that exuded out of him in strong waves that swayed even him, even though they’d only been in each other’s presence less than a minute. And then promptly looked away, down to his work in front of him, unable to hold eye contact with a stranger.</p>
<p>“Do you have your school work with you?” he asked, from his laptop if one was to be technical about looking to who they were talking to.</p>
<p>But Hinata Shoyo didn’t seem to mind, for he answered with enthusiasm, pulling his stuff out and putting it down on the table. The laptop had seen better days, and Kenma wasn’t surprised by the state of it if he were to assume anything from the way Hinata <em>dropped </em>it on the table with a solid <em>thunk.</em></p>
<p>“You might want to take better care of your laptop,” he said quietly, not one to usually pass comments or judgement on how people dealt with their life or the things that belonged into it, but wanting to… Not sure what, so he shut up, burrowing into his hoodie by bringing his shoulders up and tense to hide behind the chunky collar of it.</p>
<p>Kuroo had thought the oversize of it impractical when Kenma had bought it, but the large size, the warmth the thick material offered, and the comforting hiding place it gave him had been then, and still was, one of the best investments Kenma had ever made.</p>
<p>“It has seen better days,” Hinata spoke, sounding regretful even to Kenma’s socially inept ear, observing one of the scratches on the cover by running a finger over it. “But it works impeccably,” he brightened to add.</p>
<p>Well, Kenma had always liked that saying of “not judging a book by its cover”, so maybe there was something to be said about Hinata’s battered laptop.</p>
<p>“Okay, well,” Kenma mumbled into his hoodie and cleared his throat, “we should get to work.” He quickly flicked his eyes up to Hinata, saw him smile, and dropped his gaze again.</p>
<p>For the umpteenth time Kenma tried to figure out why Kuroo had talked him into accepting the tutoring position when he didn’t ever have any real desire to be around people.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Hinata agreed easily, in the same vein of enthusiasm he had steadily expressed, that made Kenma sigh deep.</p>
<p>He felt the buzz of his cell phone in his pocket. Without checking he knew it was his mother calling – the only person in his life who called him – probably to just ask how he was doing and reminding him to eat.</p>
<p>That could wait for another day. Right now he had more important things to do – one of which was to figure out if Hinata Shoyo was the same person with the bright orange hair that Kenma had briefly envied for their limitless energy for running down the stairs. He shot another look towards Hinata, at his hair to be specific, wondering if it was naturally that color, an indicator of his undeniably bright nature.</p>
<p>If he was… Kenma was already dreading what it would be like to keep tutoring him for the rest of the semester.</p>
<p>But, to Kenma’s surprise, Hinata Shoyo had the patience to sit still and concentrate on his work.</p>
<p>Before he noticed, an hour had passed, and he realized that most of it he had spent casting furtive looks at Hinata and his wild hair and the way his bright smile turned serious when he concentrated, the way he held a pen when he needed to work out an equation on paper when Kenma needed to show him how the functions of x could be calculated, how he bit his lip when he grew frustrated and dug his fingers deep into his hair, disheveling it –</p>
<p>Most notable however, had been the Pokémon sticker on the cover of the laptop, the cause of the burning questions Kenma wanted to ask but held his tongue not to. He didn’t want to distract Hinata, and furthermore, did he need to know more about Hinata’s obsession with Pokémon? This kid was just someone he was tutoring.</p>
<p>Who knew what kind of can of worms of socializing it would open? Of answering questions himself it would undoubtedly bring up?</p>
<p>Maybe he would ask some other time, weeks – No, months later, when he had learned more about Hinata.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to have a connection on any other level with someone who would turn out to be someone insufferable, although at first meeting Hinata didn’t seem the type.</p>
<p>Or, horror of all horrors, what if Hinata preferred Pokémon Blue?</p>
<p>That was just a no-go.</p>
<p>“Hey, can I ask you a question about something?” Hinata asked when they were finishing, packing up their things, about to separate their own ways.</p>
<p>Kenma, one strap of his backpack already over his shoulder and ready to bolt at the soonest moment it would be polite to, blinked at Hinata, not sure what to expect the question to be, and hesitantly nodded.</p>
<p>“Do you think I should buy Pokémon Red? I already have the Yellow, so I was wondering if it was a waste of time? Do you know Pokémon? The game? Have you ever played it?”</p>
<p>That was <em>five </em>questions, but rather than to point that out, Kenma stared blankly at Hinata, for once unable to look away as his mind was on the verge of blowing up.</p>
<p>To this day, Kenma doesn’t remember what he had answered, but what he does remember is the smile he wore on his way back to the dorm from their impromptu detour together to Kenma’s favorite game shop. To this day, Kenma is happy that Hinata had asked. To this day, he is thankful that Kuroo had pushed him to accept the tutoring position, not that he would say that aloud, but would instead show his gratitude in small gestures here and there. Perhaps by returning his sock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a confession to make : I love how short I'm able to write these chapters</p>
<p>Feel free to gush to me about KenHina. Tell me all about your day, good or bad. Talk me into buying a band t-shirt that costs 66€. Fall in love with yourself a little more today. Come up with a haiku about cats and keep it a secret you don't tell anyone. Make your mark on the sky by writing your name on it with your finger in invisible ink. Smile. Take a breath. You are valid. </p>
<p>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>